Hover Beside
by NuclearCookout
Summary: Tails & his new female friend continue to become closer, especially after Bean takes hostages in a bank with a dirty bomb. Can things hold up after a nerve gas attack & a kidnapping? Final Ch.6 is up! Did Tails make it on time? Violence/terrorism/suspense
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to Hover Above. It is a bit grittier than its predecessor, nothing graphic, but still contains romance and much amusement, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Hover Beside

The Freedom Fighters hurriedly arrived at the bank in downtown Knothole, and saw multitudes of law enforcement personnel who had surrounded the large, elegant building. They were babbling amongst themselves of a truly dire situation. Within the walls, inside the opulent foyer, stood Bean the Dynamite surrounded by thirty-five sejant hostages. Eight of the hostages were terrified children. Bean's apparel consisted of nothing more than a bulky suicide vest filled with high explosives and canisters of extremely radioactive spent nuclear fuel, and the spring-loaded detonator of which resided firmly within the grasp of one of his feathered hands. He had already activated it, which meant that if he were to remove his thumb from the device, it would all be over. The green avian was clearly visible through the glass wall of the front, as was his truly psychotic facial expression.

Sonic approached one of the loudspeaker-wielding negotiators, who was trying in vain to talk some sense into the menace. As his friends stood by, he asked, "Any progress?"

After the negotiator apprehensively ran his fingers through the fur on his head, he set the speaker down on the trunk of a white cruiser and replied, "No. Nothing. This freak has totally lost it. He won't respond to any of our suggestions, and won't even approach the phone when we call it. I'm really concerned that he just wants to go out with a bang."

As Sonic conversed, Kaolin briefly looked at Tails in a concerned manner. She wasn't quite ready for this kind of suspense, and seeing the lives of all those people hanging in the balance, especially the kids, was very disconcerting. It brought back unnerving memories of all the atrocities Robotnik had committed over the years, including the ones done to her own family.

Bean noticed the Freedom Fighters, scowled, and immediately rushed to the ringing phone. To the negotiator on the other end, he exclaimed, "Get those filthy goodie-goodies out of here. If they don't leave within five minutes, thirty-five people will die instantly, and many more will suffer radiation poisoning. You have FIVE MINUTES." With that, he abruptly hung up and returned to his previous position.

The negotiator began to sweat, looked at the phone, and ended the call on his side. His distraught expression caught Sonic's attention.

"Hey, you, what'd he say?" inquired the blue hedgehog as he approached.

Solemnly, the negotiator responded, "You and your friends need to leave. Your presence has made him more hostile. He threatened to explode if you're not gone within five minutes, and not only would those thirty-five people die instantly, many more would be irradiated."

"Irradiated?" queried Sonic, "You mean he's carrying a dirty bomb?"

The negotiator sighed, looked at the bank, and replied, "Yeah. Got a lot of canisters of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel on him."

Sonic's heart sank. If Bean were to do the unthinkable, it would be a long time before that bank would be usable again. He had to think of something, and think of it fast.

Tails happened to overhear the conversation, and he walked over to Sonic with an idea in his brilliant head. "Hey bro, I have a suggestion."

Bean scowled when he saw that they were still there. He had actually wanted them out instantly, and now knew that five minutes may have turned out to be too much leeway. He walked over to the phone again after warning his captives to stay put, and impatiently waved his free hand at the negotiators, inferring that he desired to speak with one of them. The phone rang, so he picked it up and answered, "Since the Fighters do not seem to be making any effort to leave, I have decided on something else. They must leave within one minute, or I will brutalize and slaughter one hostage for every minute they continue to remain. I happen to have a rather large knife on me, and it has been a while since I've drawn blood, and I must say, I simply itch to do it again." He slammed the phone onto its dock, approached the group of thirty-five, and grabbed a female civet by the arm. Her young daughter screamed and pleaded for the monster to let her go, but he curtly ignored her cries, and even smiled. Bean got the woman in a headlock using his detonator arm, and unsheathed a razor-sharp flint knife with his free arm. He put the knife up against her face, in preparation for a slash.

Into her fuzzy ear, he whispered, "I am sorry for this predicament you are in, but it must be done. For you see, these people outside; the law enforcers, they had this coming. Decadently, they stroll through life, helping only those whom they perceive as worthy of being helped. In retaliation for their iniquities, many more than I have made mention, I shall start with a slice to your face. It will sting considerably, and there will be decent blood loss." He closed his eyes, reclined his head back slightly, sniffed deeply while licking his beak, and continued, "Mmm, blood. It has been long, so very, very long, since I have had the pleasure of drawing blood. Hearing the resounding screams of a victim, or 'toy' as I prefer to say, and watching the small streams of crimson pleasure coursing their way down from the wound is one of the things I enjoy most in this world. Society has not been kind to me, so why must I reserve myself to return the favor? Hm? Why should I try to be good when it is not returned? Why? Why? Everybody, ALL OF YOU, had this coming for such a long time that it isn't even funny...or is it? Is it funny? Does it strike a chord of amusement within your prejudiced, affluent psyches? For me, it does. It fills me with unfathomable glee!" He then proceeded to laugh maniacally, and gave her a very minor cut as a sign that he wasn't kidding. Tears streamed down her face as she began weeping.

Outside, Tails shared his idea with his blue friend, "We need to lure him away from those people somehow. I theorize that if everyone out here holds something extremely shiny, it'll distract him enough to allow us to infiltrate the bank."

Sonic rubbed his chin with interest, but before he could answer, one of the negotiators approached them and said, "I need all of you to leave immediately. Bean just threatened to brutalize and kill one of his captives if you aren't out of here in one minute."

Sonic nodded to his teammates, and they began to leave the area. He then turned toward the official and said, "Before we go, I have a request which was brought up by a friend."

While the two discussed Tails' plan, Kaolin walked up to the orange fox and asked, "Hey, can't we just use one of our EMP guns to disable the vest?"

"No, there would be a chance that it could actually trigger a detonation," replied Tails, "I'd thought about using gas to knock him out, but because his thumb is already on the spring-loaded detonator, that wouldn't work too well, either. I have a plan, though."

As Tails shared his plan with Kaolin as they walked out of sight, Bean continued his depraved monologue, "Ooh, it looks like our friends are leaving, like good little sheep. Seems you get to live a little longer. By the way, I'd like to share with you a little snippet of my past. Back before I was put in a mental ward a year ago, I was a very happy duck. I played with my closest friends, tormented the Freedom Fighters, did business with Robotnik, and various other pleasurable activities. It all ended one fateful, rainy day. While Bark and Nack were plotting our next mission, I was outside gathering castor legumes, when all of the sudden, Sonic whizzed by so fast that the rocks which were riding his wake battered me ever so. He subsequently plowed into the building where my friends were and beat them senseless. He had caught wind of our plan to put ricin in the New Mobotropolis water supply, as a mission for Robotnik to show his strength and capability as a dictator. As I laid there, bleeding, whilst hearing the reverberating screams of my compatriots, something nestled deep within the dark confines of my mind snapped. Broke. Shattered. I suddenly realized that the world was after me. Nothing I did was ever good enough. It finally sunk in that neither the population nor my friends respected me in any way. All I was to them was a babbling green stain who had an unhealthy obsession with bombs and reflective objects. I was mindless and malleable in their eyes. So, after Sonic had his fun, called the police and left, I stumbled my way into our small base and put my so-called friends out of their misery with a hacksaw. When the police arrived, they found me gorging on fresh liver with a large bottle of Chianti wine and a small dish of fava beans sitting on the floor adjacent to me. Since I was covered head-to-foot in sumptuous blood, they automatically assumed that I had done everything. They assumed that Sonic had merely subdued them instead of what he really did." Bean began to cry, but the tears were soon followed by insidious giggling, "Of course, I was put into the asylum as consequence. I'm not exactly sure how, but I escaped a few months later and killed a few more people. It was then that I started formulating this day out of vengeance for all that had happened. I acquired the parts for the vest at various hardware stores late at night when nobody was there, and managed to talk Robotnik into giving me some of his spent reactor fuel. And...and now, would you like to hear something truly crazy? No? Yes? Nobody understands just how amazing liquid water is. It truly is. They know not of how it will rule Mobius in the future! Everyone is a fool. EVERYONE. Meeheeheehee!" His maniacal ranting and depraved thoughts only terrified his captive even more.

During Bean's little speech, the Freedom Fighters reached the top of the four-story building via Tails and Kaolin hauling them up.

"Ya know, Tails, you never told me your teammates were so heavy!" complained Kaolin as she lifted Julie-Su.

"Hey! You may be new but that doesn't justify mocking my weight!" Kaolin's cargo exclaimed.

"I wasn't mocking your weight, echidna, I was just saying that I'm not used to carrying people!" snapped the grey fox as she struggled to stay airborne. Julie-Su glared up at her transporter, but knew that she was indeed heavier than average because of her cybernetic enhancements.

After everyone had been hauled to the top, they gathered together and discussed their course of action.

"Alright NICOLE, what do your scanners say about the ventilation shafts? Is our plan doable?" asked Sally to her supercomputer as she held it in the palm of her hand.

"Yes. There is an entrance towards the center of the roof, and that shaft will take you right above Bean. There are not any vertical drops, so no need to worry about that," answered the electronic lynx.

"Zen let us do zis," commented Antoine as he and Bunny tenderly held hands.

Sally continued, "Okay, everyone has everything ready?" After each member nodded, she concluded, "Good. Lets go!"

The group let out a hoo-rah and made their way to the ventilation shaft. Knuckles tore off the grate with his gloved hands, and they entered forth, one by one. Kaolin's heart raced as her mind processed the fact that she was on her first mission. Lives were at stake, and she knew that if she messed up, lives could be lost. She had to stay on her toes.

As the Freedom Fighters descended into the building, Bean's insane babbling continued further still. "And then, THEN, when water is crowned king of all existence, I shall be made ruler of all of you because of my loyalty to the Divine Wetness. Then I shall make all of those have-nots out there, the ones with the guns and badges, pay dearly. OH how dearly they shall PAY. Pay...pay with cheese. Cheese is quite delightful, wouldn't you say? Cheese, in all its many splendors. Cheese, in all its many varieties and colors and flavors and smells. It reminds me of this one time..."

A few more minutes passed, and the Fighters crawled their way to a vent right above the loquacious green duck. Tails was ahead of everyone else, since he had made the decision to drop in first. His light weight and ability to fly made him the perfect candidate next to Kaolin, who lacked the experience necessary to effectively handle such a delicate situation. He peered down through the vent, and witnessed Bean continue his incessant babbling to his unfortunate captive. He pressed a button on a communications device, which signaled the police that they were in place. The units outside proceeded to hold out large disco balls, which gleamed brightly in the afternoon Sun.

"I'm not making any sense, am I?" Bean continued, "Perhaps my time is coming. Perhaps it is indeed time to end this madness once and for all. And...and..." As his prisoner squirmed uneasily, Bean noticed the shimmering globes through the outside windows; their reflective wonders threw light all over the room. Due to the room's polished marble walls and ornaments, the shine was made even more spectacular. "And...it...is all so...beautiful. Such splendorous, magnificent...shiny..." he said with an awed whisper as his obsession with all things reflective began to rear its ugly-yet-convenient head.

That was when Tails went for it. He silently removed the unattached grate, which was being held by supportive ledges rather than screws, and hopped through. He quickly landed right behind Bean and grabbed both of his hands, not only allowing the female civet and the rest of the hostages to escape, but holding Bean's trigger thumb with his own thumb to prevent the detonation. The duck struggled furiously as other Fighter members hopped through the open vent two-stories-above and ushered the freed hostages to safety. Sonic aided Tails by cutting the masking-tape-bound explosives from the vest, grabbing the detonator, and taking it away as Tails tried to subdue his opponent. Kaolin was the last to emerge from the vent, but as she leapt, her shoe got caught on a small protruding piece of metal. She tumbled to the floor right as Bean wiggled his way from Tails' grasp by back-kicking him in the groin. The avian instantly saw his chance to take another hostage, and ran toward Kaolin as she laid on the floor, struggling to get back up. He got her in a headlock and put the knife to her neck.

"Tails, help me!" was the first thing that popped out of her mouth, and this not only surprised Tails mildly, but flattered him deep within his psyche. Could it be that she looked up to him that much?

"Silence, grey fur! You're mine now. Everyone STAY BACK!" exclaimed Bean with an absolutely psychotic countenance. He looked at each of the Freedom Fighters as they returned. None of them dared to approach, because they knew what terrors he was capable of.

"Calm down, Bean. You don't want to do this," said Tails, hoping to convince him to let her go. He knew, however, that this was highly unlikely.

"You idiot, do you think that will sway me? Do you think that will make even the slightest of dents in my hardened resolve? I'd intended for this day to live in infamy, but you furs-and-quills ruined it. Oh, and those disco balls were quite the clever trick. I find it both amusing and annoying how you took advan-..."

He was cut off by the sound of a sniper bullet penetrating the window and sending the knife careening from his hand. The Freedom Fighters took that chance to rush him and free Kaolin, who, without even thinking, ran to Tails and embraced him in tears. In his mind, he wondered if she really did feel something for him. Even though they had known each other for a week, he felt something about her as well -- something special, and it was apparent that she did, too.

Bean was escorted to a police cruiser, and the group made their way back home.

--

Stay tuned for Chapter Two, coming soon! Update: Chapter Two is up!

--

Sonic characters and places are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega

The liver, fava beans, and Chianti comment is copyright or trademarked of whoever owns Hannibal Lector

Kaolin, story, etc is copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for waiting, people. This new chapter is shorter and contains less action, but don't let that discourage you. Without further adieu, I present Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

After the Freedom Fighters had returned to their headquarters, everyone in the group consoled Kaolin and tried to help her recover from the ordeal. She had been extremely shaken by the sudden presence of imminent danger -- the thought that she was going to die -- and it simply overwhelmed her. A few minutes later, she requested peace and went to her quarters to gather herself. She just wanted to be alone. Sonic immediately plopped down on the couch and switched the channel to a network showing The Simpsons. His subsequent, persistent giggling quickly began to get on everyone's nerves.

"Eh, Sonique, eet eezn't zat funni," muttered Antoine with a befuddled expression as he witnessed Sonic transition to a state of oblivious elation. Bunny and the others subtly nodded their agreement.

"Dude, just laugh. You know it's funny. Everyone knows it's funny," answered the Blue Blur.

"Ya, but, you are making a spectacle of yourself...zat giggling eez...eez just annoying," replied the coyote.

"Hey, if you want me to change the channel, fine," said Sonic as he switched it to Animaniacs.

"No no! Zat eez not what I meant! Seriously, Zee Simpsonz rock and all, but..."

"But what? You got something against this, too?"

"You are mizunderstanding me, 'edge'og."

"What did you just call me?"

"Wat?"

"No, no, say it again. Insult me again."

"Eet waz not an inzult!"

While the two argued, Kaolin sat on the bed and tried to pull herself together. The mess had shaken her more than it should have, and she knew why. It reminded her of her time as a captive of Robotnik many years prior. It reminded her of how her friends and family were murdered in front of her eyes as they laid helplessly on the experimentation table. She closed her eyes, and painfully reminisced her last day as one of the many mistreated and malnourished captives.

It was in a roboticization laboratory. The room was huge and cylindrical, and the walls were lined with cage after cold, metal cage, filled with Mobians of every kind. The majority of them were from her own village. There were even a few Humans and Overlanders here and there. In the center of the dimly-lit room was a large operating table surrounded by bright lights and overshadowed by a suspended, vertical shaft with various retractable tools dangling from its opening. One by one, Robotnik would take prisoners, strap them to the table, and use them as test subjects for an experimental type of roboticizer. The results were typically too gruesome for words. As she sat helplessly in her cage one day, Ivo looked in her direction after 'finishing' with another experiment and began his approach. She rapidly huddled into a corner, and wept uncontrollably as he unlocked the door, jerked it open, and reached inside. Her parents happened to be in cages right next to her, and they shouted every manner of things at the doctor to get him to stop. Her dad managed to grab hold of his leg and bite him after he dragged it toward his cell. His teeth could not penetrate the thick cloth, but it did leave quite a pinch, and the doctor was less than pleased. Robotnik first shouted, but then chuckled, slammed Kaolin's cage shut, and took her dad instead. He fought viciously, but Robotnik's stun baton subdued him very efficiently. He was then strapped to the table and given medication to make him even more alert than any normal captive. Robotnik pulled a strange silver tool down from the suspended column and commenced the experiment, which could have also been regarded as torture as well. Her dad didn't last very long at all, and the resounding screams silenced after only a few blinding flashes. Her mom screamed louder than her daughter did as she watched her husband leave this world in such a barbaric manner, and to make things worse, Robotnik wore a huge, malevolent grin on his face. It was as though he did that particular 'experiment' merely for amusement. He unstrapped the lifeless body, chucked it down a chute, and took her mother next. He actually treated her as a test subject instead of a plaything, and began to make decent progress with the roboticization, successfully transmuting one of her legs into a cybernetic replacement. A malfunction occurred, however, and she did not survive, to put it mildly. He quickly activated the ventilation fans to evacuate the resulting smoke and ash. It was at that moment when Kaolin noticed that her cage door had not shut properly. While the smoke was still relatively thick, she opened the door and sprinted to an open passageway as fast as her little legs could carry her. Due to the noise of the fans, Robotnik was none the wiser. She managed to slip past security and escape into the real world unhindered.

Kaolin suddenly jerked out of her thoughts as a knock came from her door. It was Tails, holding a plate of food. He asked if he could come in, but all he heard was the sound of sadness. He opened the door, only to find the grey fox curled up on her bed, crying, shivering, and in a cold sweat. After setting the tray onto a table, he sat down next to her and placed his hand on her head. She jolted slightly, but the shivering stopped, and she looked at Tails with large, bleary eyes, and allowed a brief, minute smile to appear on her face. She sat up, and Tails soothingly put his arm across her jittery shoulders.

Before he could say anything, she said, "That...that moment earlier, when Bean was about to kill me, unlocked a terrific fear in my subconscious. It brought back feelings that I hadn't felt since I was in Robotnik's lab so many years ago. I felt like screaming out to my parents. I felt helpless and weak. I felt like I was going to die." She laid her head on Tails shoulder and began crying again.

"Kaolin, it's okay now. All of that is past us; Bean is in a secure mental ward again, and Robotnik is probably still bedridden from that flogging I gave him a week ago...heh. You're safe here," consoled Tails in a comforting tone.

Kaolin looked at the floor, and her expression darkened. She said with a wavering, hateful whisper, "I want that revolting mass of corpulence dead. I want him to pay for everything that he did to my friends, family, and townsfolk."

Tails eyes widened slightly, but he stayed calm and replied, "Vengeance is a beast. It may be satisfying at first, but it only leads to pain later."

She looked at him at a glance, coldly, and snapped, "You don't understand, my VILLAGE and my PARENTS were SLAUGHTERED in front of my eyes. You don't know how it feels to see you own parents brutalized, and for that overstuffed curse to just smile after doing it. You could NEVER understand!"

Hurt, Tails removed his arm from her shoulders and silently walked out. Kaolin looked down, then up at the doorway, then down again, and put both of her palms on her forehead in frustration. She had just run Tails off again. She had let her anger and bitterness get the best of her, and now one of her friends -- more specifically, a friend who she really liked -- was hurt because of it. She looked at the steaming plate of food that Tails had personally and selflessly prepared for her, and a rush of sorrow and sadness flooded her entire body. Kaolin made it her goal to try to control her anger more thoroughly, but for now, an apology was in order.

As Tails walked into the main room, he saw Antoine sitting on the couch with an expression of both extreme irritation and piquant befuddlement. Sonic had just walked away from the argument, and had journeyed into the kitchen to microwave a burrito. He was unaware that he had set the setting too high, and his snack exploded as a result, blasting the microwave door open, and sending a small tsunami of bean, cheese, and tortilla pieces flying everywhere. Sally witnessed the event, and was soon beside herself with laughter.

"Great, it's gonna take Amy forever to clean this up," said the cerulean hero while wiping the greasy mess from his quills. He took one step, slipped, and landed on the messy floor with a splat. Sally's laughter only increased. As all that was happening, Kaolin walked in and sat down on the couch next to Tails, who had just switched the channel back to The Simpsons.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that. It wasn't right for me to get so worked up," she said while trying not to cry again.

"I understand, Lin. You were under a lot of stress, and it kind of exploded out. It happens," replied the understanding orange fox. He placed his arm over her shoulders again, and they happily watched TV together. He didn't harbor any ill feelings toward her, and still liked her just as much as before, perhaps better. She had already been forgiven, even before she asked.

--

EPIC, YES? Well, maybe not epic, but...whatever. Up next is Chapter 3! Hint: did Bean make it to the asylum?

--

Sonic characters, places, and objects are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega

The Simpsons and Animaniacs are copyright of their respective owners

Kaolin, story, etc are copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


	3. Chapter 3

Again, thank you for waiting. By the way, I uploaded a drawing of Kaolin on my deviantArt page, so check it out! See my profile for the link.

Chapter 3

The white police cruiser sped down the highway, carrying its valuable and dangerous cargo as cumulonimbus clouds wafted high overhead. Bean and two officers were on their way to one of the most powerful and secure mental asylums on Mobius, where the craziest of the crazy were held. Once inside, there was no possible chance of escape.

"How's the weather up there, fellows?" asked the criminally insane duck, who was not only handcuffed, but was strapped to the seat as well. "It must be barbeque weather, because I smell the intense odor of pork roasting on a grill."

The brown canine officer on the passenger's side glanced back and replied, "Hey, green bug, shut up before I come back there and make you." He turned his head back around toward the front, and watched an airplane buzz over a lush valley nearby.

"Not much into cop jokes, are you? Yes, they can be quite annoying, especially if you're the one who's doing the oinking," said Bean in a tauntingly sarcastic manner. The two cops simply ignored him, though the one on the passenger's side was struggling to keep some rather nasty retorts from popping out. Bean noticed the officer's irritated facial expressions, and continued, "Do either of you remember hearing about some girl who was murdered and hung from a flagpole a month ago? She had the nicest eyes, and a lovely voice. It sounded even better as a scream, and could turn the heads of the deaf."

"Joe, could we pull over so I can beat this freak?" asked the brown canine to the pantherine officer who was driving the vehicle.

Joe smirked, but denied him the request, "I wish, but guidelines won't allow it."

Bean uttered an absurd chuckle, and said with a demented grin, "So that's all you guys are: lapdogs. All you can do is obsequiously obey anything and everything your masters command you to do. Emasculation and cowardice is what that registers in my book. Emasculation...and cowardice."

As the canine reached for his extendable taser, Joe immediately slammed on the brakes as a tall, robe-clad individual walked out into their lane. His leopard claws dug into the black steering wheel as the vehicle came to a stop only twelve feet from the stranger. He honked the horn a couple of times, but the person didn't make a single movement. He looked at his partner briefly, said, "I'll be right back," and exited the vehicle. He shouted, "Move it or lose it, buddy. We're on a schedule."

The cloaked individual, whose hands and muzzle resembled that of a lion's, calmly spoke with a masculine voice, "I am in need of assistance. I have been shot, and require conveyance to a hospital."

Mildly shocked, Joe approached him with caution and asked, "Where were you shot? Perha-..." Joe was immediately grabbed by the neck and stabbed through the abdomen with a short sword. All he could say was the name of his partner, "D-...Dave..." before he was tossed across the road and into a ditch. Dave rapidly opened his door, drew his gun, and blared, "GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" During the ordeal, Bean merely sat and giggled under his breath. He didn't know for sure what was happening, but it amused him regardless.

The assailant began to approach the cruiser, and Dave shouted for him to stop, seconds before firing three rounds into his chest after he ignored the order. Nothing happened. The being simply kept coming. Dave didn't even have time to get back into the vehicle before the attacker's arm extended, revealing a telescopic robotic shaft, ripped the door from its hinges and threw it into an adjacent field. His other arm extended, grabbed Dave by the face, and yanked the canine in front of him, where he promptly snapped his neck like a stalk of celery and chucked the lifeless body into the field. Bean was puzzled as to whether he should continue giggling or cower in fear as the murderer walked over to his side of the vehicle. The door was quickly ripped off, and the lion freed Bean from his bindings. His glowing red eyes became visible in the shadows, revealing him to be a robot rather than a cyborg. By then, Bean was actually somewhat frightened and began to walk away, when the machine declared, "Robotnik has sent me to inform you that he has a proposition. He offers you the chance to accomplish what you had wished to accomplish earlier, only ten-fold."

Bean's eyebrows shot up, and he turned around and asked, "Oh really? Why that sounds truly delightful. Where do we begin, pray tell?"

The badnik rapidly transformed into a small hovering one-seated vehicle. Bean hopped aboard, though at first with some reluctance, and they traveled to Robotnik's fortress. During the flight, Bean reclined in his seat and thought to himself, "Absolutely wonderful. Two chances to inflict substantial pain in one day! I can barely contain myself. Oh...oh yes...this reminds me of that one time...long ago. I was strolling through a neighborhood; a rather affluent one at that, and saw that someone had left their door cracked open for whatever reason. A big, big smile traversed my face, possibly beyond both ears. At least, that's how it felt. I saw a delicious opportunity, so I took it without even giving it a second thought. The house belonged to a single female squirrel, grey fur, young, living completely alone. Completely unprotected. I snuck in with my sneaky sneakiness and sneakily snuck a large, sharp knife from near a large wooden cutting board on the large countertop. Oh such fun I had that night. The resplendent blood, the exhilarating screams, the sheer, unfathomable joy. The walls were crowned with millions of jewel-like droplets of the red pleasure, strewn in such streaks and ribbons that would make even the most evil of dictators void their colons with envy. She was unrecognizable when the police arrived, and I heard it took them days to find all the pieces I had cleverly hidden within the luxurious home. That was perhaps the most fun I've had with one of my victims...er, toys. Come to think about it, she looked an awful lot alike to...that fox...Kaolin, I believe her name was. Yes, the gray fox I encountered a short while ago. That is why I garnered such delight when I held the knife to her neck. I should, no, I MUST, meet her again. I MUST draw her blood. Yes, yes, yes, a new goal. A new goal that I have set to accomplish. Along with many other people, I must kill Kaolin. Oh my, this is starting to feel like an obsession, hee hee. I love it."

A few minutes later, the machine set itself down in front of the main door of Robotnik's imposing fortress. It then transformed back into its lion state, and the two entered the building after a servant drone welcomed them in. The place was massive, dark, and dreary, and countless portraits of Ivo himself adorned the walls. They eventually made their way to Robotnik's lavish suite near the top of the complex, and Bean giggled the entire time. In the center of the room was a large bed, and on the bed was Robotnik in a full body cast, save for his head, which was heavily bandaged. He was surrounded by various medical devices, each making its own mechanical noise.

The doctor glanced at the two as they entered his room, and said with a wheeze, "Ah, Bean the Dynamite. It...it is nice to see you again, heh heh. As you may have heard, I have for you an offer. Snively!"

The less-battered-and-bandaged Snively hobbled up holding a clear, soda-can-sized vat filled with a peculiar translucent orange fluid. Intrigued, Bean asked, "Oooh, what is that?"

Robotnik hacked and coughed a bit, then answered, "It is a container filled with a highly concentrated gas called Pindrop. It is an incredibly efficient nerve agent that I developed, which instantly becomes a gas when released from its canister, and it expands quickly, making it something like a bomb as well. I call it Pindrop because when it has completed its task, there is nobody left alive to make a noise. It becomes so silent, that you could hear a pin drop. Take it and its detonator into New Mobotropolis and...be creative. I want Sonic and his friends to know just how much I 'appreciate' how they 'dropped in' on me last week, and I'm sure you desire revenge for what happened earlier today. If you should happen to cross paths, tell them I send my regards...especially if you see that f-...ffffo-...that little orange piece of garbage who put me in this situation!" He couldn't even bring himself to say 'fox'. Tails' thrashing left a serious mental scar in Ivo's mind, enough for him to develop severe vulpephobia, the debilitating fear of foxes. Every time Snively would say Tails' name or species, he would immediately start screaming.

As Robotnik's nephew handed Bean the canister, the duck happily snatched it, smirked evilly, and thought, "YEEEES, this is it! I can use this to lure Kaolin out into the open, and kill many of those blowhard curs residing within that accursed city. I...I cannot walk out into the public eye, though, as I am a wanted felon. Hmm...I have an idea. I need a decoy." Bean turned toward the doctor and requested that he provide him with a cybernetic duplicate of himself to act as a distraction, to which Robotnik agreed without hesitation. It would take a few minutes to scan him and synthesize convincing parts to place on an existing robot, but it was certainly possible.

Robotnik gave one of his robot servants the orders, and sent them with Bean to a specific section of his laboratory. Before they left, however, he said to the maniac, "If you should happen to kill any of the Freedom Fighters, I'll give you a handful of my prisoners to torture for your own personal enjoyment." This caused Bean's excitement to increase considerably, and he expressed his appreciation before exiting the room. Now that his guest had left, Robotnik demanded Snively's attention.

"Yes sir," amenably answered the little man, though with some reluctance since he was frankly getting tired of his uncle's domineering attitude.

"I want you to make sure the Bean replica is perfect, and that the cam-bots are ready for deployment. I want this incident recorded from multiple angles," commanded the bedridden doctor. "This way, I can catch the look on Sonic's face when he sees so many people dead, and the face of his friend T-..."

"Tails?" Snively finished accidentally. He immediately cupped his bandaged hands over his mouth, but it was too late. Robotnik unleashed a verbal carpet-bombing upon his hapless nephew, and even used a considerable amount of profanity. Following the paroxysm, he ordered him out of the room.

Moments after he left, Snively almost slammed his fist into a wall, but decided against it because not only was the wall made of solid metal, but his hands still ached considerably from the small fox's beating. Robotnik's outburst pushed him over the edge. This was the final straw.

--

Now before you say, "Hey, you said Joe was a panther, but then a leopard," leopards are of the subfamily pantherinae, making him a pantherine animal. Neat little science fact for ya. D Coming up next is Chapter 4! Will Bean do the unthinkable? What's running through Snively's mind?

Oh, and I have yet to see the word "vulpephobia" used outside of my own vocabulary. I looked for a word meaning "fox phobia", but it was nowhere to be found, so I decided to make it myself.

--

Sonic characters and places are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega

Kaolin, other original characters, the story, etc are copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


	4. Chapter 4

The more I write, the more I see this as being longer than I had expected. Also, I'm happy to say that I've formulated the general idea of what the next Hover sequel will be about. Thank you for waiting, and enjoy.

Chapter 4

Rotor took a bite of a cold bologna sandwich as he sat at his computer playing some random game that NICOLE had created. It was a strategy game, and his head was starting to hurt because of its inordinate difficulty.

Kaolin was feeling much better. Tails' quick-forgiving attitude really made her day, and she felt much closer to the orange hero. Sitting beside him seemed to make all her cares wash away. As a commercial presented itself as they watched television, she looked around the room at her fellow Freedom Fighters. Sonic was sitting at the bar eating chili dogs while Sally sat next to him and talked about something. It was unclear if Sonic was even listening. Near the north wall, Antoine and Bunny were chuckling as they glanced through a photo album of their vacation to Antoine's homeland of Mercia a few months ago. In a different room connected to the main room were NICOLE and Amy; the former was helping the latter with computer issues. On the floor in the west-northwest area of the room were Knuckles and Julie-Su playing a game of Battleship. Kaolin smiled, scooted slightly closer to Tails, continued watching the program. Everyone was happily oblivious to the developing situation in New Mobotropolis.

Within the bustling concrete jungle of downtown New Mobotropolis, Bean, disguised with a black jacket, a bandanna wrapped around his forehead, and sunglasses, approached a staff entrance in the back of the largest mall in the city. In one of his pockets was the concentrated Pindrop gas canister and its detonator, and in the other pocket was a nine-millimeter pistol complete with a silencer. He silently walked up to the door and turned the handle, hoping for it to be unlocked. Unfortunately, it was locked, so Bean muttered some rather indelicate things to himself and resorted to doing what he didn't want to do for the sake of noise -- he shot it open. He was glad that there weren't any functioning cameras to identify him, since Robotnik had remotely disabled them, although since his feathers had been dyed yellow, he didn't expect anyone to recognize him right off the bat. That was the job of his specialized decoy. Bean rapidly kicked the door open, ran inside, and shot two patrolling guards without hesitation. The sight of the blood on their white shirts gave him an intense burst of adrenaline, and he smiled bigger than he had in a while. As he ran down a hallway in the direction of a room used for the airflow regulation of the entire building, Bean's robotic doppelganger waltzed right in through the front door on the west side of the mall. A security officer immediately recognized him as the recently-escaped Bean, drew his gun, and commanded him to get on the ground. The robot raced further into the mall before it quickly grabbed one of the mall patrons and threatened to kill them after getting them in the neck-breaking position. It wasn't long before police cruisers began making their way to the besieged mall, and every security officer on duty raced to the progressing incident. This proved to serve Bean well in his efforts to access the air room. He reached his destination a few minutes later, kicked the door open, killed everyone inside, and frantically searched for a place to plant his device. He chuckled when he found one, and placed the deadly canister on the lip of a large duct opening -- the one leading to every ventilation shaft in the building. His hands shook as he carried out his plans, and the joy coursing through his veins was greater than he could describe. Having completed his initial task, he hastily sprinted out the door, down numerous hallways, and toward the exit. He didn't want too many people to evacuate before he pushed the pretty red button.

As he made his escape, one of the superior officers amidst the many who had surrounded the decoy shouted, "You don't want to do this, man. Please, let the hostage go and give up peacefully."

The robot smiled, and said while relaxing its grip, "Very well, you want peace? You shall have peace. You'll even be able to hear a pin drop."

The hostage was freed right as the canister was activated. The blast created by the rapidly expanding gas was relatively small, but still did a decent amount of damage, even tearing a hole in the roof. The force of the release channeled the Pindrop nerve agent throughout the building's air ducts very efficiently, and it wasn't long before the effects began to make themselves known. By then, Bean had sprinted a good distance away, well outside of the expanding orange cloud. He knew what the stuff was capable of, though, and he just kept running. Uncharacteristically, he shouted at random pedestrians to flee for their lives because a toxic gas bomb had just gone off, but he did it merely to make himself look completely innocent in front of any possible witnesses. He ran south as the winds carried the gas east, then rounded the corner of a house and ran to the west, then to the north a minute later. His goal was to hide near, and keep an eye on, the front of the mall since the Freedom Fighters were bound to visit the tragedy. Floating in the sky nearby were a few of Robotnik's small cam-bots, recording everything.

Back at the Freedom Fighter headquarters, twenty minutes before the gas attack, Tails and Kaolin continued to contentedly watch television as Sonic and Rotor played rock-paper-scissors. Rotor requested the activity simply to get his mind off of that mind-ripping game he was playing earlier. In another room, NICOLE was getting frustrated by Amy's apparent inability to work a computer.

Keeping her cool as usual, the holographic lynx said, "Good job, Amy. Since the final setup is now out of the way, click 'OK'."  
The pink hedgehog pondered for a moment, then asked, "Click 'OK'?"  
NICOLE sweetly replied, "Correct. Click 'OK'."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes. Click 'OK'."  
"So I click 'OK', is that it?"  
"Indubitably. Click 'OK'. It is that simple."  
A pause followed, and Amy clicked 'Cancel'. Bewildered by her illogical action, NICOLE asked, "Why did you click 'Cancel'?"  
"That's what you wanted me to do."  
"No, you weren't supposed to click 'Cancel'."  
"Wait...I thought you instructed me to click 'Cancel'."  
"No. I said to click 'OK', NOT 'Cancel'."  
"Oh."  
"Since you clicked 'Cancel', we need to start over now."  
"Why?"  
"Because you clicked 'Cancel' when you weren't supposed to."  
"Wasn't I supposed to click 'Cancel'? That's what you said."  
"No. No. I did not say that." NICOLE sighed, and continued, "Let's start back at square one."  
"Ok."

"It eludes me as to how you could have missed that."

After twenty minutes of carefully reconstructing the setup, NICOLE said, "Good. The setup is finished. Again. Are you ready to click 'OK'? Look...look at me, Amy. Are you ready to click 'OK'?"  
"Absolutely."  
"Excellent. Now click 'OK'. Do not click 'Cancel'. 'Cancel' is your sworn enemy. Only click 'OK', not 'CANCEL'. If you click 'Cancel', failure and frustration will result. Please do NOT click 'Cancel'. Clicking 'Cancel' will bring about digital suffering, so you MUST click 'OK', and 'OK' only, for the world to remain in balance.  
Another pause followed, and Amy moved the mouse pointer towards 'Cancel'. NICOLE immediately grabbed Amy's hand, and asked, "What are you doing? 'Cancel' is bad. You MUST CLICK 'OK'.

"You told me to click 'Cancel' and not 'OK'!" Amy exclaimed.

NICOLE flinched briefly, and continued, "Listen...listen to me...and listen carefully. If you head towards 'Cancel' again, I might very well short-circuit from such illogical behavior. You must click 'OK' for the setup to work."

"But..."

"NO BUTS. If you click 'Cancel', the setup will fail, and we will waste another twenty minutes doing it again. DO NOT click 'CANCEL'." Amy eyed the 'Cancel' button, and NICOLE added, "I see you eyeing 'Cancel'. Please, PLEASE do not click that button. I don't know how to get you to fully comprehend how fast 'CANCEL' will send us careening down the desolate road of frustration. Clicking 'OK' is your only way out."

"Why?"

NICOLE flinched again, and continued, "The setup can only work if you click 'OK'."

"Alright, but it's weird how you kept telling me to click 'Cancel' and then suddenly changed your mind," said Amy as NICOLE gave her a blank stare. Before she could click 'Cancel' again, everybody's attention was suddenly drawn to the television as a breaking news report alerted of a gas attack in downtown New Mobotropolis. The group was in shock as they witnessed the dozens who hadn't survived, and they listened as the reporter said that a sizeable swath of the eastern part of the city had possibly been contaminated by the deadly toxin. Kaolin in particular was struck with a strong feeling of grief. More memories of her time as a captive came rushing back, this time concerning how Robotnik had gassed some of his prisoners when he saw little or no use for them. Tails pulled her closer, since he figured that she wouldn't take the situation well. She snapped out of her thoughts when Sally declared that they'd go investigate the crisis once the biohazard crews were sure there was no danger and that the winds wouldn't blow the gas back at them. She also requested that Kaolin stay behind due to her emotional state, but Kaolin protested, and said that she still wanted to help. She was, after all, a Freedom Fighter, and she knew she would probably encounter tough times. Impressed by her steadfastness, Sally agreed.

It took a surprisingly small amount of time for the gas to disperse to safe levels, and the Freedom Fighters headed out to the big city via hovercraft. The journey there felt surreal; more like a dream than reality, The fact that someone had successfully launched a nerve gas attack was something nobody expected. They came to a stop on a street one block away from the mall's main entrance, and Tails and Kaolin hopped out and took to the sky to get a better view at the request of NICOLE. Each team member observed the nightmarish sight. They saw hundreds of bodies, much more than they had seen in the news. Most laid inside the building, visible through the multitude of glass windows. Kaolin hovered beside her friend as both shed a tear, and was completely unaware that she was being watched from the shadows of a nearby structure. All she could think about was how such a tragedy could have occurred. Her answer would come to light as Sonic spoke with an investigator. She and Tails hovered back down and joined the group on their debriefing. They were told that Bean had entered the mall and taken another hostage, shortly after having escaped while en route to the asylum. One of the escorting officers was found in a field, dead with a broken neck, and another was found in a ditch, barely clinging to life after having received a grievous sword wound. Before he had been taken to the hospital, he informed the paramedics that he saw the attacker freeing Bean, transforming into a vehicle, and flying off in the direction of Robotnik's fortress. Everyone's eyes widened. Could it be that Bean himself planted the gas before taking the hostage? Sonic asked if Bean's body had been found yet, but all he got was a no. As he pondered how Bean could have survived, the investigator got a call on his radio from a member of the biohazard-suit-clad search team. They had just found numerous dead guards, each with at least one gunshot wound. The back door was found to have been shot-open as well. None of the witnesses had said that they saw a green duck coming around the side of the building, which would have denoted that Bean had first planted the bomb and then taken a hostage. All they saw was a green duck approaching from the west. In Sonic's mind, this meant that Bean may have had a double, perhaps a robot duplicate. It would make sense since he had allegedly gone to Robotnik for help, and if this was indeed the case, Bean was still out there.

Before they could say anything else, the green duck approached the gang from the shadows of a building, holding a crowbar. "How are you gentlemen? Impressed by my work?" he said tauntingly. The investigator drew his gun, but before he could utter a word, a hole in Bean's chest opened up and released a thick cloud of black smoke from a smoke dispersal mechanism. They coughed while trying not to breathe it in, and noticed that it had strongly disorienting properties. Kaolin couldn't see anything within two feet of her -- and that's when she was clubbed over the head with a piece of wood. The robot transformed into something like a levitating motorcycle, and the real Bean hopped aboard with his prisoner and took off, but not before leaving a note on the ground. Tails struggled to stay balanced as he tried to regain coherence and figure out what was happening. The effects didn't last long, and after he came back to his senses, he saw that Kaolin was nowhere to be found. All he saw was the note on the pavement, and he immediately began to panic.

"What just happened...and where's Kaolin?" asked Knuckles while stumbling slightly.

Tails opened the letter, and it read, "Hello friends! I am so glad that you made it to my party. Seems my guests fell to the floor with excitement. I know, that was bad, but digressing to the point, I have taken Kaolin and intend to do unkind things to her. However, this does not mean she is gone forever. If you can find me within two hours, you might get her back! Isn't that lovely? Your first clue is: pie."

The twin-tailed vulpine stood there, trembling. He felt a mixture of fury, anxiety, gloom, and self-loathing. He hated himself for allowing his new friend -- his responsibility -- to get kidnapped, and hated Bean even more for committing that crime and the other crimes beforehand. He dropped the letter, fell to his knees, and grasped his face as he began to weep. His associates quickly realized the dire situation, and began discussing their next move.

Miles away, in Robotnik's suite within his fortress, the doctor laughed heartily as he witnessed Sonic's face on numerous viewscreens linked to his cam-bots. The hedgehog's pain caused him abundant delight, and though he ached with every laugh, it was worth it. Snively heard the roaring laughter, and grimaced while packing his clothes into a suitcase. Conversely, he smiled when he looked at the device he was holding. His plan would soon come to pass, and he would be free.

--

No! Kaolin! Tails is really ticked off now, but what will he do? Will they find her in time? Stick around for Chapter Five!

--

Canon Sonic characters, places, and objects are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega

Battleship is copyright of its owner or owners

The computer frustration scene was derived from a very similar real-life story told by a computer specialist

Kaolin, other original characters, etc, and the story are copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


	5. Chapter 5

I hit a couple snags, but the chapter's done now. Enjoy.

--

Chapter 5

Pain. Head-splitting pain. That's what Kaolin felt as she slowly awakened in a dark, musty room, tied to a squeaky chair by thick, itchy rope. Her vision was blurry, so she couldn't quite make out what anything was. She did, however, see a green smudge sitting in a lit corner. She figured it was Bean, plus the absurd and redundant giggling kinda gave him away. Suddenly, it hit her: it was BEAN. She had been kidnapped by a raving, murderous psychopath, and this realization didn't sit too well with her.

As she squirmed in an attempt to free herself, Bean chimed in, "Don't even bother. I've ensured that you will not be escaping, so attempting to do so will only rob you of the energy you'll need to survive me."

Kaolin immediately determined that he was indeed going to torture her after hearing that comment, or maybe he was just using scare tactics. Whatever the case, it terrified her to the core.

Bean let out a quick snicker, stood up, and spoke as he approached his frightened prisoner while holding one of his flint daggers behind his back, "Please forgive my rudeness. Allow me to express my joy of having you here as a guest in my humble abode. I missed you since we last parted, as did all nineteen of the voices in my head. When I first laid hands on you, it seemed so magical -- like I had done it before -- and I just had to make it happen again." He strolled around the chair and stood still behind her; she could almost feel his presence, and began to shiver ever so slightly. She knew he was about to do something. Bean continued, "Sweet, sweet Kaolin, I have allotted your friends two whole hours to find you, so that gives us plenty of time to talk...and plenty of time to play." He maneuvered his flint knife, which was sharper than any metal knife could ever hope to be, and nicked her right shoulder -- lightly, but hard enough to draw a small amount of blood. Tears began streaming down her face after she shrieked, and Bean expressed his amusement, "Yes, that's it! That's what I remembered! You reminded me of one of my previous toys, and it brings back such nostalgia. Worry not, though, as I'll not kill you until your friends fail. I placed bunches of nifty little clues here and there for them to find, and you will be their prize if they actually win the game."

While trying to contain herself, she noticed that he didn't say her friends would get her back alive, he just said she'd be their prize. That could mean anything, and because of this, numerous frightening scenarios ran through her already shaken mind. Another quick cut, this time made to her left shoulder, only compounded her fear.

"Please...please stop," pleaded Kaolin in futility with a soft, wavering whisper. The wounds stung more than they should have, so she assumed that he had applied lemon juice or something similar to the blade.

"But why, my new friend? It's causing me such joy! Such joy am I feeling to see you squirm and cry! It's what I do to be happy. Don't you want me to be happy?" heartlessly responded Bean.

As Bean continued to carry out his demented pursuit of self-fulfillment, the Freedom Fighters frantically tried to determine the meaning of the clue. Tails pounded his fist onto the ground as he figuratively swam around in a tempestuous ocean of his own guilt. How could he have let such a thing happen? How? How could he have been so careless -- so weak? He was absolutely terrified for Kaolin's safety, and was gravely concerned that she might already be dead. Should that occur or have occurred, he might never, ever forgive himself.

His teammates puzzled over the mysterious note, and as Sally paced back and forth, she said, "Pie, pie, pie, what could he mean by that?"

"Sounds like a stupid joke," added Knuckles, noting Bean's insanity.

As the team pondered, Tails' eyes widened, and he slowly raised his head after coming upon a realization. "Bakery. The next clue must be in a bakery."

"Okay, but how many bakeries are there in this city? Maybe ten?" asked Julie-Su in a somewhat pessimistic manner.

Rotor thought for a moment, and commented, "Hey, there is one bakery that specializes in pies nearby."

"I'd say that's worth a look," added Sonic while slowly moving away from Amy, who had deliberately come within uncomfortable proximity to the blue hedgehog.

Sally, pleased with Tails' perceptiveness, said, "Good job, Tails. Glad to have your kind of perception on the team." She said that partially to help boost Tails' damaged spirit, but it didn't help much. In fact, Tails had barely even heard her. All he could think about was how they were going to get Kaolin back.

The Freedom Fighters departed, and soon arrived at the bakery in question. The bleary-eyed Tails silently lamented during the entire journey.

Sonic entered the store first, and the baker behind the counter quickly recognized the blue hero, "Hey, it's Sonic! What would the Hero of Mobius be looking for today?" A few of the hedgehog's associates winced at the fawning greeting, but Sonic just smiled and accepted it as something commonplace.

While the group searched around, Sonic replied, "Have you seen anyone suspicious? Perhaps a green duck? Giggles a lot?"

The baker placed his hands on the countertop, thought briefly, and responded, "No, but I did see a particularly nervous-looking, if a bit crazy, yellow duck. He hung around for some time, almost like he was waiting for something. I went into the back room briefly, but when I returned, he was gone."

Sonic began to suspect that Bean had dyed his feathers as an addition to his disguise. Meanwhile, Tails looked up at three large, prominent pie boxes sitting atop a cabinet, and saw that one was misplaced. Thinking that 'pie' could also be an allusion to 'pi' to represent the number three, he said while pointing, "Hey, that box looks suspicious. Do you mind if we have a look at it?"

The baker looked behind himself and up at the top of the cabinet, and replied, "What, this box?" Tails confirmed, and the baker continued, "Alrighty, let me get it down for you."

The baker handed it to him, and Tails grabbed it, offered his thanks, and examined it. A rattle was heard as he tilted it at different angles, and he mumbled, "There's something inside." He opened the box, and found a small blue stone.

"A rock? What kind of clue is a little blue rock?" commented Amy. She quickly glanced at Sonic, who was looking around at the delicious pies lining the shelves, and noticed that he was beginning to drool.

"Wait a sec, I recognize this kind of rock. I've seen others at a local rock shop; it isn't too far from here," added Rotor as he held the diminutive azure pebble.

Sally praised Rotor for a job well done, said, "Looks like we have a new destination," and led the team out the door after thanking the baker for his kindness. She called Sonic's name a few times to get his attention, but ended up walking over and poking him repeatedly to gain his compliance.

While the Freedom Fighters rushed over to the local rock shop, Bean continued his mind games with Kaolin. He circled the chair, and gave her a small cut on occasion as he talked. She had regained her full eyesight, but almost regretted it since seeing Bean wasn't very comforting.

"I've seen how you look at Tails when you're around him. It's sickeningly adorable. However, what if I told you that your feelings for him weren't mutual?" asked Bean, hoping to cause her even more angst.

She scowled, and replied, "I know what you're doing. You're trying to mess with my hea-..."

Bean interrupted, "I saw Tails with a particularly attractive looking vixen the other day. She was young, had golden fur like him, and was...very well endowed, to put it politely. They seemed quite friendly with each other. This happened a couple of days ago when I was stalking him when whatever reason. I saw him at the supermarket...well, behind the supermarket, and they were getting to know each other very effectively."

Kaolin was rapidly getting angrier, but at the same time, knew that Tails had indeed visited the supermarket a few days prior, and had even stayed out longer than he said he would. Refusing to fuel the rising doubts stirring within her mind, she defiantly blurted, "You're lying!"

"I'm only telling of what I saw, dear Kaolin. It seems your love interest is only feigning affection, maybe so he can take advantage of you, too, or maybe because you just aren't cute enough or aren't his type or something."

A roaring fire ignited in Kaolin's eyes, and she responded accordingly, "Shut up, JUST SHUT UP YOU STUPID WASTE OF LIFE! STOP TRYING TO FILL MY HEAD WITH YOUR LIES!" She then remembered how she had been mean to Tails a few times, and thought that maybe he really didn't like her. Perhaps she had simply been too hostile for his taste, and that his kindness and forgiveness was just a ruse to console her in her time of trouble. Tears began to coalesce on her eyelids, and they suddenly sped down her muzzle as she jerked from another cut.

"Oh, did I say something I shouldn't have? Were you...were you really THAT in love with him? Pity. I can see why he chose her; her beauty outshines yours by various magnitudes. Her facial features are more defined, her fur is silkier, she dresses better, she has bigger breasts -- even larger than Rouge's, her jewelry is outstanding, she's more petite -- much more petite, actually, and her smile is just to die for! My voices think so, too. Every last one of them." He saw the tears dripping off her fur, and became even more excited. Instead of lightly cutting her this time, he lightly stabbed her in the right leg. The blade hit a nerve in such a manner that it caused her to scream from the unexpected pain.

Over at the rock shop, or more specifically, Stoner's Rock Emporium, the Freedom Fighters searched the numerous display bins for their rock's siblings. Julie-Su found it moments later, and exclaimed, "Hey guys, I found them!" The others quickly gathered around and began digging through the pile of blue stones. Their search gained them nothing, unfortunately, but as they began discussing other possibilities, Tails noticed the edge of a piece of paper that was stuck to the bottom of the bin. He grabbed it, and read aloud, "Congratulations, Freedom Failures! You're almost there! The next clue can be found at the front of an old textile factory just west of town. Time's a-tickin' away."

"I know exactly where that is," commented NICOLE. "It shouldn't take more than five minutes with my guidance."

They quickly gathered into their transport and sped off toward the old factory. Tails still couldn't stop thinking about how Kaolin was in extreme danger, and silently continued blaming himself for not averting the kidnapping.

In Robotnik's fortress, the maniacal doctor slumbered away; he had hoped to catch a few winks before Bean alerted him of the Fighters' arrival at the factory. He deeply desired to see what the psychopathic duck had in store for them.

Snively tiptoed past his uncle's suite as he carted more luggage from his room to the elevator. He took each load outside and to his small ship using a levitating pallet mover. He wanted all of his personal belongings to be out of that accursed place before his former mentor awakened. Once he was finished, and once Bean had enacted his scheme, Snively hoped to show his uncle just how 'appreciative' he was of all the years of harangues, insults, and other emotional torment. No jeremiad would adequately convey his feelings, so a more straightforward and laconic approach was necessary, and he was certain he would enjoy every moment of it.

--

SUSPENSE! Will they make it on time? What does Bean have in store for the heroes, and what is Snively planning? Hang around for the 6th and final chapter, coming soon!

--

Canon Sonic characters, places, and objects are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega

Kaolin, other original characters, etc, and the story are copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


	6. Chapter 6

Alas, the story has come to a close. Please enjoy this last chapter.

--

Chapter 6

"This place is huge," exclaimed Bunny as she and the Freedom Fighters arrived at the old, worn-down textile factory. The place was falling apart, and much of it was heavily rusted. A gust of wind caused the whole structure to heave and creak in an eerie manner, and it was beginning to rain.

Determined to get his Kaolin back, Tails was the first to approach the front door. Nailed to the entrance was a sign, written on which were the scribbled words, "Welcome to the Amusing Funhouse of Endless Entertainment and Fun! I commend all of you for making it this far, but alas, Tails is the only one who is permitted to enter. Kaolin will die if this rule is broken; I will know because I am watching you via CCTV cameras. Seriously, I'll do things so horrible to her that they'll have to invent new words just to describe how horribly horrible her horrible death was. Again, I am watching you via CCTV. In fact, why don't all of you (except Tails) back away about five-hundred feet? Yes, I think that's a fine idea. Watch your step on your way in, Tails!" He glanced at a window, and flinched when he saw nothing but darkness.

While Tails stared plainly at the sign, the others began to talk amongst themselves. They couldn't just leave Tails to fend for himself in an old factory, which probably contain various booby-traps. However, they began to back off after Sally gestured them to do so. She bid Tails good luck, offered words of encouragement, and joined her companions in their hovercraft.

As the vehicle lurched forward, Antoine shouted, "Do not worry, mon ami! You can do eet! Just be trusting your instincts!"

Tails looked back with a frightened expression, and replied, "But my instincts are telling me to run screaming!"

The coyote responded, "Ah, well, eh, just be careful, zen!"

Tails cautiously and slowly moved his hand toward the doorknob, but immediately swallowed his fear and quickly opened the door. He couldn't let Kaolin die because of something as trivial as fear. He examined the poorly-lit, warehouse-sized room; the few rays of light were seeping in through a few cracked windows and gaps in some vents on the ceiling. After his eyes adjusted, he spotted another sign which was hanging right in front of him. It displayed a message that further congratulated him, and told him to proceed to a staircase leading up to a cluster of rooms suspended from the ceiling three stories above.

Meanwhile, Bean watched the unfolding events from a television screen on a desk. He uttered his usual giggle, picked up a phone, and called Robotnik to tell him that the orange bug was in place. Ivo expressed his joy, and happily watched the show via his own connection to the cameras.

Tails maneuvered his way past the heavy, neglected machinery which crowded the floor's expanse. Thousands of spider webs spanned the gaps between the equipment, and he prayed that there weren't any poisonous spiders residing on them. As he passed a rather large unit, his foot hit a trip wire that tipped a bucked filled with broken glass from atop that very unit. He managed to dive out of the way of most of it, but a sizeable piece grazed the lower half of his left tail and caused a deep, bleeding cut. It wasn't a terribly serious wound, but it stung considerably. He stood in place and held it for a few moments, but persisted with his journey, having taken note to be more cautious. Time was a-wastin', as Bean had so eloquently put it. Tails made his way to the base of the stairs, and tested the integrity of each step by tapping his foot before ascending further. He had expected there to be more traps, such as the staircase itself collapsing, but there were no such things. He noticed another sign when he reached the top, and this one told him to find a door labeled with a six.

Bean continued watching Tails from the television screen, and decided that the time was drawing nigh for his grand finale. He walked over to Kaolin while holding his knife, and gave her more small cuts on her arms, legs, back, and head. She squirmed and shouted with each blade stroke, and begged for him to stop, so Bean leaned over and whispered into her fuzzy ear, "Nope. I want you to be presentable for when Tails arrives." The thought of Tails arriving gave her a refreshing glimmer of hope and comfort amidst the increasing pain.

Tails heard faint screams, and quickly drew the conclusion that Kaolin and Bean were in that very building. He ran along the grated walkway, rounded a corner, entered a hallway, and came upon a metal door with a six on it. By then, the screaming had become quite audible, and he was sure it was coming from Kaolin. Without hesitation, he grabbed the cold door handle and attempted to twist it, but found that it was locked. He pounded, pushed, and pulled as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. He was puzzled as to what could he have missed. Was there an overlooked clue or a missed message? Tears began to form on his eyes when the screaming transitioned to faint crying, which in his mind signified that Kaolin was running out of time. Time. Time's a-wastin'. That phrase was in the letter they found in the rock shop. Perhaps the key was...in a clock! He looked up and down the hallway, and saw a single round clock on the wall. He grabbed it, and found a small key stuck to the back with dried potato paste.

"Why couldn't he just use tape or glue like a sane...oh, right..." thought Tails as he unlocked the door and entered the room. He saw Kaolin tied to the chair, and blood was trailing down from her many wounds and onto the floor. She was still moving, but was apparently losing energy quickly.

"Tails...help me..." cried Kaolin in a strained, doleful whisper as tears continued flowing down her muzzle.

If Tails had possessed a gun at that moment, he would have killed Bean on the spot. Infuriated, he said with a growl, "Bean...you sick...twisted..."

The green duck immediately interrupted, "Please, please, enough complements. I'm happy to see that you actually completed my challenge! Tell me, how did you do it in less than two hours?"

Tails tersely replied, "It didn't take CLOSE to two hours! We did it in less than thirty minutes!"

Bean changed the subject, "Isn't it nice to know that your beloved girlfriend is still alive? By the look in your eyes, I'd say you're more interested in exacting sweet, delicious vengeance on me, aren't you? Hoping for a struggle, yes? Well, I am most certainly happy to oblige." Bean readied his knife and lunged at the orange fox. Tails jumped out of the way as Bean went for his chest. Before the duck could continue his attack, he tripped over a pipe and tumbled through the open door and into the hallway. Tails rapidly tried to shut the door before Bean could get back up, but he used his hyperactivity-induced speed to swing his foot into the doorway fast enough to keep it from shutting. Tails slammed the door repeatedly, which caused injury and a lot of pain to Bean's foot. This incited shouts and a recoil from the avian, and allowed Tails to shut and lock the door.

As Tails went to untie Kaolin, Bean yelled, "Open up, kid! I'm not done having my fun yet! This is so impolite, and I may just have to mutilate you both before killing you! Actually, I was planning on doing that anyway, but you get the point."

Tails quickly untied Kaolin, supported her by holding her right arm over his shoulders, and headed out through a door in the back of the room. This door led them into another hallway, which in turn led them to a stairway and onto the roof. There, they saw numerous cubical vent structures, and hastily hid behind one of them. Tails immediately tried to become airborne and haul Kaolin to safety, but his injured tail wouldn't allow it. He didn't expect his grey companion to be in the condition to fly, either.

"How ya hangin' in there, Kaolin?" asked the concerned hero as he examined her wounds.

Kaolin lovingly looked into his eyes, presented a weak smile, and replied, "I'll live. It's just minor blood loss and a whole lot of stinging."

Tails, overcome by emotion, started to hug her, but stopped when he figured it would cause more pain. "Sorry, I know you must be in a lot of pai-..." She smiled and hugged her rescuer, completely ignoring the considerable stinging sensation covering most of her small body.

Their tender moment was cut short when the building rattled as a result of Bean blasting the door wide open with a grenade. With an even more psychotic mien, he ran into the room, saw the open door in the back, and bolted up to the roof, knife in hand.

"That was a good one, you fuzzy orange worm. I think my foot might be broken now. Allow me to inform you both that your deaths will be even more creatively gruesome after I find you." He searched around a few of the five-foot-tall vents, and continued, "I'll make you SUFFER. I'll start by severing your legs at the knees and then pouring salt on the stubs. While you writhe in pain, I'll just sit back and laugh as I watch the blood pour from the open wounds. THEN, I'll stab you until there is nothing left to stab! I'd probably do some other fun stuff before actually killing you, but that's to be decided when you're firmly within my grasp."

Bean's search brought him ever closer to their position, and Tails prepared himself by grabbing a small pipe segment and a piece of solidified tar paper. When the verdant, muttering psychopath got close enough, he tossed the paper as a distraction. Bean quickly looked in the direction of the noise made by the paper hitting the roof, and Tails took the opportunity to sprint out and try to whack him over the head. Bean jumped, causing Tails to miss and instead club his back, and he swung his knife in an attempt to rapidly gut the vulpine. He barely missed, and Tails maneuvered the pipe into the path of the swing, leading to a collision of the two weapons. The flint knife shattered on impact, and the hilt was tossed some distance away. Angered, Bean planted a fist on Tails' nose, then the other fist on his abdomen. Tails swung the pipe again, but Bean grabbed it and threw it over the edge of the roof. The two then distanced themselves and slowly circled each other.

"Didn't expect me to be such a good fighter, did you, lintball?" boasted Bean.

"I've fought worse. You're nothing special," mockingly responded Tails.

Tails struck at his opponent, landing a few strong blows, but Bean dodged many of them. The hero managed to plow a fist into Bean's face exceptionally hard, and the duck fell on his posterior. He landed near where the hilt of his shattered knife came to rest, and saw that it still possessed a sharp piece of the blade. He grabbed it and stabbed Tails in the leg when he got close enough to throw another punch. As the fox howled in pain, Bean hopped to his feet attempted to slit his throat, but Tails swatted the weapon from his hand and backhanded him into a ventilation structure. Before Bean could gather his bearings, Tails landed more blows with increased vigor. He yanked Bean out into an open area and smacked him hard enough to send him near the edge of the roof.

Bean realized he was losing the battle, partially due to the fact that some of his ribs were broken and one of his ears barely functioned. While watching Tails' approach, he said, "You won't win, bug. The terror of this day will live on in the hearts and minds of all of you. Just kill me, it'll make you feel better; more like a winner. Kick me. KICK ME OFF THE ROOF! Send me tumbling to my death! YOU will have defeated BEAN the AWESOME DYNAMITE in cold, vengeful blood! So very beautiful."

Tails stopped in his tracks, and knew that revenge was something he had warned Kaolin about. He looked Bean square in the eyes, and shouted, "Vengeance isn't my thing, monster. You're going to court for terrorism, mass-murder, kidnapping, and torture, and will probably be sentenced to death-by-firing-squad."

The wacko's expression grew darker, and he blurted, "Then have it your way, fool. You will die by my hand!" Bean lunged with insane fury, and Tails grabbed him by the hand and slung him into another vent. The rusty metal gave way, and Bean fell through and tumbled towards the floor three stories below. He landed on a sharp, upright piece of rebar, and was killed almost instantly when the rusty spike passed through his heart.

Tails witnessed the disturbing event, mouth agape. He had just taken a life. He'd never killed anyone before, and the fact that it had happened -- and happened so fast -- threw him for a loop. It certainly wasn't his intention to kill Bean, and this provided him with some solace, but only a very small amount. He backed away from the hole and looked over at Kaolin, expecting to see a shocked expression. Instead, he saw her sprawled out, nearly unconscious. Panic-stricken, Tails ran to her aid, knelt down next to her head, lifted it with his shaking hands, and exclaimed in tears, "Kaolin, Kaolin! Don't give up on me, please! You can pull through!" He checked her pulse, and found it to be weaker than normal, but not direly weak. Tails ran to the edge of the roof and waved to his friends for help. He was immediately spotted, and the gang made their way to his position. He ran back, picked her up off the dusty roofing surface, and carried her to an open area.

"Tails...you did the right thing...I love you..." whispered Kaolin as she looked at him, eyelids barely revealing her pupils.

Tails kissed her while holding her tightly, and tears ran down his nose the entire time. He loved her just as much as she loved him, and hoped the kiss would increase her will to live. Within her mind, she knew that Tails couldn't have been the cavorting lecher that Bean had somewhat convincingly made him out to be. He had merely lied to get inside her mind, and she was ashamed that she had considered his words even for a minute. Kaolin lost consciousness as she was loaded onto the hovercraft.

During the Freedom Fighters' journey to the nearest hospital, Snively walked out the front door of Robotnik's fortress, entered his ship, and took off. Inside his uncle's suite, the corpulent dictator relaxed on his bed, though with a somewhat shocked disposition. His camera feed had given him a front row seat of Bean's death, and he was disappointed that his most hated lifeform on the entire planet, Tails, was still alive. Right before he could let out a small belch, an image of his nephew appeared on the massive plasma screen.

"Hello, revered uncle. Wondering where I am? Well, I have decided to move on, get a better life, and enjoy some peace for once. No words can describe how I feel about your years of abuse, so please allow what is about to happen to explain what simple vocabulary cannot."

Robotnik puzzled over why Snively was so upset. He hadn't been that bad, had he? After all, the boy needed stern guidance, and Ivo had been there to give it to him. He received his answer when the explosive material mixing facility near the main building exploded, and the resulting shockwave shredded his fortress like tissue paper. Over ten miles away, a smile traveled across Snively's face as he watched his plan unfurl. He was finally free.

Kaolin received a successful blood transfusion, and made a complete recovery shortly thereafter. From that point on, she kept a gun with her at all times. Tails and Kaolin began dating a week later.

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Fin

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Thanks for sticking around to read and enjoy the story! A sequel is in the works, and it will take place a few years after this one. Epic adventure awaits...

If you want more Tails action, feel free to read Tails the Mercenary 1, 2, 3, and Shattered Equanimity! All are located in the bottom of my profile.

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Canon Sonic characters, places, and objects are copyright of Sonic Team/Sega  
Kaolin, other original characters, etc, and the story are copyright of myself, NuclearCookout


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